Daughter, Anyway

Daughter, Anyway
A Memoir by Mary Elizabeth Suzuki Langford

In this raw and tender memoir, Mary Elizabeth Suzuki Langford unravels the truth of what it means to grow up seen-but not really seen-by the man who gave you life. From quiet childhood memories to the deafening silence of emotional absence, Mary tells the story of being a daughter to a father who showed up in fragments and left her to fill in the rest.

Spanning generations of complex love, cultural identity, and resilience, Daughter, Anyway explores the unspoken impact of divorce, stepfamilies, religious awakenings, and long car rides through Millington's backroads. With echoes of Japan in her blood and Memphis in her bones, Mary pieces together her story through memories of bunk beds, classical lullabies, whispered prayers, bruised legs, and unspoken truths.

This is a story for anyone who's ever longed to be chosen, anyone who's ever had to be strong when they just wanted to be held. It's a reminder that even in absence, there is identity. Even in heartbreak, there is healing.

She was a daughter, anyway.
And she became her own shelter.